Whanganui rugby: Whanganui Barbarians rebrand aims to boost team culture
'It just gives that different opportunity to start something new,' returning coach Danny Tamehana said.
'We're not really there to 'develop', we're there to encourage them to play for that top team, as opposed to trying to train players, so to speak.'
Tamehana is working with an invited group of around 25, who can be joined for fixtures by Whanganui senior squad members not required on specific Heartland weekends.
'There's a lot of new faces, a lot of B [Tasman Tanning Senior] players,' he said.
'It's nice, the freshness, they're really energetic and happy to learn and go hard.'
The strongest representation is the Senior division title-winning Forest 360 Marist Knights, which is vital for those players to reach a higher level as they prepare to join the Tasman Tanning Premier in 2026.
Knights prop Raponi Tofa was in the Development team last year, while fullback Joey Devine and loose forward Brandon Burberry have a chance to push for higher honours.
Wanganui Car Centre Kaierau flanker Stuart Brosnahan was one of the 2024 captains, while the side has the three quick Fijian outside backs from Waverley Harvesting Border in Peni Waqatabu, Silio Waqalevu and Rusiate Lalanabaravi.
'I think we're a little bit light in the backs, to be honest, being predominantly forwards, but it's exciting to work with different people,' Tamehana said.
Kickoff in Tūrangi is 1pm.
Under-20 competition
A new and younger generation of Summit Electrical Whanganui Under-20s players will attempt to regain the reputation for strong performances in the Hurricanes Youth Council U20s tournament, starting with the frontrunners on Saturday.
The Hurricanes Youth Council (HYC) tournament is played over three rounds across two weekends, as Whanganui go on the road to Masterton's Memorial Park to face two-time defending champions Wairarapa Bush.
Next weekend, the competition returns to the Bulls RFC club where Whanganui play 2024 runners-up Poverty Bay on Saturday, August 9, followed by Horowhenua-Kāpiti on Sunday.
Returning coach Todd Cowan was choosing his final squad for the Wairarapa Bush game midweek from the extended group of 33 who started training after the end of the club season.
Last year, Whanganui were in the unusual position of going winless, while Wairarapa Bush swept their games as their union had worked hard to develop this group of players, with some other chargers likely coming up from their 2024 U18 team, who finished runner-up in the HYC U18s B Division.
'It will be interesting, obviously Wairarapa Bush were top seed last year,' Cowan said about his side's prospects.
'It's been promising the last couple of trainings – we're going to be using some young guys.'
Six members of Cowan's squad are still age eligible to play for the Whanganui U18 squad in their HYC tournament in September.
The returning 2024 U20 players are Jeff Dorset, Indiana Ratana, Mat Hammond, Jayden Lower and Akiwa Koro, with Lower and Koro in their third year.
'It's a good mixture, we've got a few players from most of the clubs and there's a lot of talent there,' Cowan said.
He expected them to be adaptable to playing games on back-to-back days on the August 9-10 weekend, as well as this Saturday on Memorial Park's unique artificial turf with its faster speed and higher ball bounce.
'Looking at the weather forecast next couple of days, the all-weather ground might not be so bad.'
Kickoff is at 12.30pm.
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Otago Daily Times
a day ago
- Otago Daily Times
Opener will test ‘brutal' breakdown
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They have whistled in Fijian Joseva Tamani and Will Tucker is a reliable performer. But they have lost Fabian Holland to the All Blacks for the next, let's say, decade or so. Oliver Haig can slot in at lock at a pinch, but he is injured at the moment. The cupboard is a bit bare in that department and Otago will have to bring some development players through. But the area Brown is mostly focused on is the breakdown. All Black No8 Christian Lio-Willie will lead the charge today. He will be supported by Southern Magpies tackle-machine Harry Taylor and University powerhouse Will Stodart, who can also slot in at lock. Kaikorai star Lucas Casey will provide cover from the bench. It is a promising loose forward unit, but the Southland trio will present a stern challenge. Burly Moana Pasifika loose forward Semisi Tupou-Ta'eiloa has been honing his craft alongside All Black Ardie Savea, and you need two trucks and a bus to stop him getting across the gainline now. 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Brown said the Otago camp was excited to start the campaign with a traditional match against Southland, who have turned the fixture into a must-watch event with their Stag Day promotion. The rivalry has grown and, as Otago found out last season, Southland lift a notch. They won the fixture 22-13 last year to wrestle the Donald Stuart Memorial off Otago. You could argue that loss cost Otago a spot in the playoffs. They won five of their 10 games last season. Waikato and Counties-Manukau both won five as well. But they nabbed the final two playoff spots courtesy of a couple of extra bonus points. Had Otago beaten the Stags, they would have made the quarterfinals. Five wins were enough in 2023 to make the playoffs, and the cut-off is likely to be around the same mark again this season. Brown is optimistic about Otago's prospects. "I'm probably walking into this job at a really good time. "Tom [Donnelly] has done great work with these boys for the last couple of years. 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NZ Herald
2 days ago
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Whanganui rugby: Steelform Whanganui face Hawke's Bay in Heartland warm-up
'Now the message is, 'that's great, but that's done'. It would be great to get that amount of people [watching] again, but it's about raising our level with intensity, and getting our game sorted,' said Hamlin. 'Now we've got this new bunch of players – got some kids that, when they start Heartland, it will be their first provincial game.' Regular loose forward and try-scorer against the Classics, Samu Kubunavanua, is unavailable with work commitments. Among the injured veterans, it is still likely lock Peter-Travis Hay-Horton and hooker Alesana Tofa will not play until the start of Heartland, while backs Dane Whale and Timoci Seruwalu will resume some training duties next week. Otherwise, all players are available, meaning a couple may miss out when the squad is officially announced on Friday morning, with Hamlin expecting them to jump on with other representative teams. Throughout the Heartland campaign, there will be fixtures for the McFall Fuel Whanganui Barbarians, Whanganui Pasifika, Whanganui Māori and even the Northern sub-union team. 'We've got all these things, other avenues we can play games at, so there's all sorts we can keep people playing when they're not involved with us,' said Hamlin. 'That's what we need them to be doing too; the guys that don't make the team need to go away and be playmakers and run [the other] teams, and get tempo of games, because that's what they'll have to do if they come back up.' With the coveted No 15 jersey open due to the departure of Tyler Rogers-Holden, Hamlin has a couple of options. Adam Boult, with 14 games for Manawatū, covered the wing last Saturday while, in his return to the team for the first time since 2018, Harry Symes scored and laid on a couple of try-assists before handing over to debutant Chad Whale. Hamlin was happy with the first-up efforts of imports Matt Picard at hooker and halfback Cody Mitchell. 'Matt at hooker did his core roles well, which is all we really want out of him - he was solid,' said Hamlin. 'We'll see what that looks like on Saturday, adding scrumaging into the mix as well. 'Daniel Kauika played really well in that first 30-40 minutes, and then Cody came on with a lot of changes, so that makes it difficult. 'But he can add a bit of tempo to our game, pretty happy with both of them.' Kickoff is 2.30pm.
NZ Herald
2 days ago
- NZ Herald
Whanganui rugby: Whanganui Barbarians rebrand aims to boost team culture
Barbarians rugby, which emphasises team culture and enjoyable social connections, might make taking part a more attractive prospect, while still fulfilling the requirement of being the back-up squad for Heartland. 'It just gives that different opportunity to start something new,' returning coach Danny Tamehana said. 'We're not really there to 'develop', we're there to encourage them to play for that top team, as opposed to trying to train players, so to speak.' Tamehana is working with an invited group of around 25, who can be joined for fixtures by Whanganui senior squad members not required on specific Heartland weekends. 'There's a lot of new faces, a lot of B [Tasman Tanning Senior] players,' he said. 'It's nice, the freshness, they're really energetic and happy to learn and go hard.' The strongest representation is the Senior division title-winning Forest 360 Marist Knights, which is vital for those players to reach a higher level as they prepare to join the Tasman Tanning Premier in 2026. Knights prop Raponi Tofa was in the Development team last year, while fullback Joey Devine and loose forward Brandon Burberry have a chance to push for higher honours. Wanganui Car Centre Kaierau flanker Stuart Brosnahan was one of the 2024 captains, while the side has the three quick Fijian outside backs from Waverley Harvesting Border in Peni Waqatabu, Silio Waqalevu and Rusiate Lalanabaravi. 'I think we're a little bit light in the backs, to be honest, being predominantly forwards, but it's exciting to work with different people,' Tamehana said. Kickoff in Tūrangi is 1pm. Under-20 competition A new and younger generation of Summit Electrical Whanganui Under-20s players will attempt to regain the reputation for strong performances in the Hurricanes Youth Council U20s tournament, starting with the frontrunners on Saturday. The Hurricanes Youth Council (HYC) tournament is played over three rounds across two weekends, as Whanganui go on the road to Masterton's Memorial Park to face two-time defending champions Wairarapa Bush. Next weekend, the competition returns to the Bulls RFC club where Whanganui play 2024 runners-up Poverty Bay on Saturday, August 9, followed by Horowhenua-Kāpiti on Sunday. Returning coach Todd Cowan was choosing his final squad for the Wairarapa Bush game midweek from the extended group of 33 who started training after the end of the club season. Last year, Whanganui were in the unusual position of going winless, while Wairarapa Bush swept their games as their union had worked hard to develop this group of players, with some other chargers likely coming up from their 2024 U18 team, who finished runner-up in the HYC U18s B Division. 'It will be interesting, obviously Wairarapa Bush were top seed last year,' Cowan said about his side's prospects. 'It's been promising the last couple of trainings – we're going to be using some young guys.' Six members of Cowan's squad are still age eligible to play for the Whanganui U18 squad in their HYC tournament in September. The returning 2024 U20 players are Jeff Dorset, Indiana Ratana, Mat Hammond, Jayden Lower and Akiwa Koro, with Lower and Koro in their third year. 'It's a good mixture, we've got a few players from most of the clubs and there's a lot of talent there,' Cowan said. He expected them to be adaptable to playing games on back-to-back days on the August 9-10 weekend, as well as this Saturday on Memorial Park's unique artificial turf with its faster speed and higher ball bounce. 'Looking at the weather forecast next couple of days, the all-weather ground might not be so bad.' Kickoff is at 12.30pm.
